Car Accidents

Experienced South Bend Car Accident Lawyers

People never expect that the negligence or recklessness of another driver
could devastate their lives, taking away everything they have worked for
or love. The sad truth is that every day hundreds of car accidents occur
in Indiana, and despite increases in automobile safety, thousands of people
are killed or injured on the road every year. At
Sweeney Julian PC, we are dedicated to helping car accident victims in South Bend recover
the compensation they deserve.

Who will represent you?

Indiana requires every driver to have insurance on their vehicle. A driver's
insurance company is immediately going to shift into high gear when it
finds out that a crash has occurred. The company will have investigators
and insurance adjusters at the scene immediately. The goal of the company's
investigation is to gather every shred of evidence, especially evidence
that helps the wrongdoer evade responsibility.

Furthermore, the insurance company will hire its own attorneys to represent
the person who caused the accident. The insurance company's attorney
will be there, fighting for the rights of the person who caused the collision.
Even at trial, the person who caused the accident will usually have an
attorney who is paid by the insurance company. These insurance companies
have the resources to fight all the way to a jury verdict.

Our attorneys
know how to investigate and prepare a car wreck case. We know what evidence is important and how to make sure it is safely
secured. We know how to fight to recover damages for the injuries to your
body and the damage done to your life.

What to Do After a Car Accident

If you were injured in a collision, you should be thoroughly examined by
a trusted physician as soon as possible after the collision. You want
to be truthful and tell your doctor every pain or problem that you are
having, even if it is minor. Remember that many times injuries that seem
small after the shock and adrenaline rush of a motor vehicle collision
can turn into painful and debilitating injuries in the hours and days
following a collision.

You should also have someone you trust take pictures of the cars involved
and the accident scene. Use a film camera, not digital, to take multiple
pictures of the cars involved in the collision. A Kodak Max disposable
camera is an extremely reliable camera to use for this purpose. When taking
pictures of the cars, pretend there is a clock dial around the car. Take
pictures from the 12:00 position, 1:00 position, 2:00 position, and so
on. You should end up with 12 good pictures showing a 360-degree view
of the car. Use the rest of the camera to take pictures of the damaged
areas of the car, including damage to the interior, air bag deployment,
and the undercarriage of the car.

Use a second camera to take pictures of injured parts of your body. Cuts,
bruises, road rash, and other injuries need to be documented. Remember,
spending $15 on pictures can go a long way to helping a jury understand
your case. You can never have too many. Don't wait to use the whole
roll of film before you get the pictures developed. If you wait, you may
find out that the pictures did not come out well. If two weeks have gone
by, those wounds may look completely different. It will then be too late
to get pictures to show the jury. Take pictures, use the whole roll, and
have someone get them developed the same day. This way, if the pictures
do not come out, you can immediately take new pictures. If your injuries
are severe, it is critical to have a professional legal photographer take
pictures to document the evidence for a jury.

Retain an experienced car accident attorney in South Bend!

Don't trust your insurance company to take pictures or do anything
else related to your case. Even your own insurance company is not legally
allowed to act as your attorney. They have their own interests in mind,
and those interests may not align with your own. In fact, you can be confident
that any insurance company that contacts you after an accident has only
one primary goal in mind:
paying you as little as possible.

It is always best to immediately seek the advice of an experienced
South Bend personal injury lawyer before you make any decision in your case. That same attorney can start
an investigation to preserve evidence needed to win your case. Insurance
companies will have teams of investigators, lawyers, and doctors to help
them win their case.

At Sweeney Julian, we limit our practice to injured people. We do not represent
insurance companies. We know how to investigate and prepare automobile
crash cases. The insurance companies know us, and we know them.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.